"The job of a preacher is not to ignite people's anger, but direct it, but now I am being punished for it," he said.

I do not order people. I do not have followers - I have listeners

Mr Abu Hamza

Preachers should be neutral, he added.

"I do not order people. I do not have followers - I have listeners."

Asked about Saddam Hussein, Mr Abu Hamza said he thought the former Iraq leader was a tyrant to his people "which has resulted in the occupation of the peninsula and the mass emigration of the Iraqi people".

Under re-examination by his own counsel, Mr Abu Hamza was asked how he would have felt if Saddam Hussein had been killed by his generals.

"I would be happy, but what could happen if it became worse?" he replied.

If Saddam Hussein had been replaced by one of his generals "it could be worse than Hitler", he added.

Supply claim

The cleric faces nine charges under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which allege that he solicited others at public meetings to murder Jews and other non-Muslims.

He faces four other charges under the Public Order Act 1986 of "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up racial hatred".

A further charge claims the defendant was in possession of video and audio recordings which he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred.

The final charge, under section 58 of the Terrorism Act, accuses him of possessing the Encyclopaedia of the Afghani Jihad, which, it is claimed, contained information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".